Phillies better not regret keeping Gabe Kapler for remainder of season

The Philadelphia Phillies better hope Gabe Kapler has what it takes to help this team turn things around in 2019 before it’s too late.

Early on in the season, the Philadelphia Phillies appeared to be at least a lock for a Wild Card spot in the National League playoff picture when looking at the talent Gabe Kapler was fortunate enough to work with.

However, the circumstances have quickly changed in the City of Brotherly Love, and all of a sudden, it’s Kapler who seems to have found himself on the hot seat as a result of the Phillies recent struggles.

From never-ending issues with the bullpen to the team most recently losing seven games in a row, there are plenty of reasons for Philadelphia fans to feel frustration towards Kapler at the moment.

But most of all, the Phillies currently trail the Atlanta Braves by 6.5 games in the NL East, and technically wouldn’t even be in the playoffs with a Wild Card spot if the regular season were to end at the moment.

Obviously, Philadelphia still has months to turn things around since baseball in general is a long season, but this factor alone should be a major reason for concern.

Expectations were rightfully high for the Phillies this offseason since the offseason additions of players like Bryce Harper and Jean Segura were supposed to take this team to new levels, which appeared to be the case early on in the year.

With the struggles that have been taking place as of late, Kapler has all of a sudden found his name on the hot seat over the last week or so, although Philadelphia firing their manager in the middle of his second season seems like it would only cause more problems.

On Monday, Matt Klentak decided to address the recent questions surrounding Kapler’s job by making it clear the Phillies manager would in fact be around for the remainder of the 2019 season.

As for whether Philadelphia will end up regretting this decision, well plenty could change over the next couple of weeks, especially if the Phillies continue to dig themselves a deeper hole in the standings.

For the sake of the Phillies, here’s to hoping that Kapler does in end up finding a way to get Philadelphia to turn things around before it’s too late since this team has too much talent, and it would be a shame to see 2019 turn into a complete waste.

Otherwise, the Phillies won’t be avoid the talk next offseason about Kapler’s inability to manage, and how Philadelphia missed out on a golden opportunity to compete, but as mentioned before, at least there’s plenty of time to get back on track.